The crème de la crème of the Irish horse racing world attended the annual Curragh Racing Awards on Monday 20th October. The event was staged in association with Tipperary Crystal and Kildare Village, who hosted the evening at their superb L’Officina Restaurant

Aidan O’Brien and Colm O’Donoghue were the big winners as they were awarded the Irish Daily Mail Training and Riding Performance of the Year Awards. There were selected from 8 monthly winners, with O’Brien the monthly winner for May and June following a number of high profile successes, while O’Donoghue claimed his Award for his winning ride on Bracelet in the Darley Irish Oaks last July.
Aidan O’Brien and his son Joseph were crowned the leading trainer and jockey of the season at the Curragh with Aidan responsible for 35 winners, while champion jockey Joseph rode 25 winners at the County Kildare venue.

Special Merit Awards were presented to Sabrina Harty who trained a remarkable 7 winners (44% strike rate) at the Curragh, jockey Fran Berry and Curragh based Willie McCreery who trained his first Group One winner as a trainer with Fiesolana.

AWARD 1
Training Performance of the Year in association with Irish Daily Mail
Winner Aidan O’Brien
Selected from the 8 monthly winners, Aidan won the monthly award for both May and June. In May he trained Marvellous to win the Etihad Airways Irish 1000 Guineas, while Magician, Adelaide, Table Rock and The Great War also won during the month. In June he saddled six winners during the month including Australia in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby,

AWARD 2
Riding Performance of the Year in association with Irish Daily Mail
Winner Colm O’Donoghue
Selected from the 8 monthly winners – Colm won the award in July for his winning ride on Bracelet in the Darley Irish Oaks

AWARD 3
Leading Trainer of the Season (by number of winners)
Aidan O’Brien
35 winners including 5 Group 1 successes – Australia, Marvellous, Bracelet, Gleneagles and Dick Wittington)

AWARD 4
Leading Rider of the Season (by number of winners)
Joseph O’Brien
25 winners including 3 Group one wins – Australia in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, Dick Wittington in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes and Gleneagles in the Goffs Vincent Obrien National Stakes

AWARD 5
Special Merit Award
Sabrina Harty
Trained a remarkable 7 winners at Curragh this year from only 16 runners – a 44% strike rate

AWARD 6
Special Merit Award:
Fran Berry
Rode 13 winners (19% strike rate) at Curragh this year. Hugely popular rider who has overcame some serious injuries and setbacks to still be riding at the top of his game.

AWARD 7
Special Merit Award
Willie McCreery (Curragh based trainer)
Fiesalana became his first Group One winner as a trainer when successful in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown

The word "Curragh means place of the running horse. The Irish turf club was founded in the coffee rooms in Kildare and it was soon established as the governing body for horse racing throughout Ireland.